Tuesday, June 14, 2011

N.U.T. / ATL VOTE YES IN STRIKE BALLOT OVER PENSIONS

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NUT Pension Ballot Results

Today, (Tuesday 14 June), the NUT announced overwhelming endorsement by its members for strike action to defend teachers’ pensions. In the NUT’s strike ballot 92% voted in favour of strike action with a turnout of 40%

We will be campaigning alongside the ATL who have had similar strong results in their ballot of members.

The NUT executive will be meeting tomorrow to take the formal decision on a day of national strike action planned for 30 June.

The NUT believes that our pensions are fair and affordable. The Government wants teachers to pay more, work longer, and get less. They are pressing ahead with unnecessary reforms despite the changes already made to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in 2007.

The National Audit Office has confirmed that public sector pension costs are falling as expected due to the reforms already in place. Teachers are already paying more, the normal pension age has been raised to 65 for new entrants and employer contributions have been capped.

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has also been highly critical of the Government’s pension strategy which they say is based more on public perception of public sector pensions than on actual figures.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“The Government’s unnecessary attack on public sector pensions has convinced NUT members that there is no alternative but to support strike action.

“It is disgraceful that the Government is pressing ahead with its reforms which will affect teachers’ pensions. The Government knows that they are affordable. This is a policy which has nothing to do with economics and everything to do with politics.

“The NUT is party to the TUC negotiations with Government to protect public sector pensions. It is not too late for common sense to prevail and for these unnecessary changes to be stopped. It is in no one’s interest to create a whole new swathe of people who are a burden on the taxpayer in old age.

“The NUT alongside TUC affiliated unions will do all we can to ensure fair pensions for all.”

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For further details contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706 or 07879480061

In total 218,370 in service NUT members who are also members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme have been balloted. This excludes supply teacher members, members in other independent schools, and members not employed as teachers and not eligible for the TPS eg. Soulbury paid members, administrators, learning assistants etc who are mostly in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Teachers in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action against government plans to cut their pensions.

Ballot results released this afternoon for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Union of Teachers reflect a high level of anger and resistance.

For the ATL 83% voted for a campaign of strikes. In the NUT it was 92%.

This is especially significant for the ATL as this is its first ever national strike ballot.

Together with the NUT this result represents the majority of school teachers in England and Wales, in both the state maintained and independent sectors.

Both organisations will now consider these results at meetings in the next two days.

"Unless the government makes an immediate and fundamental reversal of its plans to make us pay more, and work longer to get less pension in retirement, strike action will start with one day's stoppage on 30 June" says NUT National Executive member Nick GRANT. "We also expect colleagues in the University and College Union and the PCS civil servants to join us on strike that day."

"We call on everyone who is angry about the unjustified attacks on public services and its workforce to join us on the day at a march and rally from Lincolns Inn Fields, Holborn at 11.30am to go via Whitehall to Westminster for a rally."

"This is a fight for the future of properly funded and accountable public services. And it is a fight which is only just beginning"

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We believe that the function of socialists must be to support the self organisation of working people in their struggles against all forms of oppression, both at home and internationally.
We totally reject sectarianism, where one group puts its interests above that of the working class.
e.mail: socialistresistance.sussex@googlemail.com